Leaves from the vine: Short stories after the war
by Cactusjuiceparty
Summary: These are a combination of short stories about each characters life after the fall of the fire nation and the struggle that ensues in their own life as they struggle to return to a normal life.


Aang pitched the walnut up in the air and as it made its decent back towards the earth Momo darted towards the spiraling nut, snatching it moments before hitting the ground.

They'd been traveling uphill on a curvy white pebbled roadway for a couple hours.

Aang enjoyed taking these strolls, alone, around the country side where he and Katara had settled down. It reminded him of his adventures, but also made him long for more. It had been almost ten years since he had defeated the fire lord and the most worrisome event in his life now was Katara. She was now 8 month's pregnant and her belly was in full bloom.

As Aang had already made up his mind that his first child was most defiantly going to be a boy. He often mused on his walks on what kind of man his son would be. Would he be the strongest bender in the world since Kyoshi. Or would he have a warm heart like his mother.

As he continued to ponder about his unborn son, his feet finally carried him to the top of the hill and to the base of an enormous sprawling sequoia tree he often visited to meditate. This time however Aang noticed a small plump boy in a blue shirt which brown chocolate stains in distress at the base of the tree.

"It's getting late, we need to go home!" the chubby kid anxiously yelled towards the peak of the tree.

Aang wondered over and looked up at the impressive tree, he saw branch after branch spiraling upwards until they faded and were over taken by dark shades of emerald leaves.

"Hi." Aang said to the plump boy

The boy looked at him tears streaming down his face

"What's wrong?" Aang asked quizzically, "Why are you crying?"

"M-my cat r-ran u-p this tree a-nd wo' come down," the boy sobbed uncontrollably.

Aang sprang into action, taking three steps then jumped on his glider and soared towards the top of the tree. In the distance behind Aang, the boy, dumbfounded from seeing a full grown man take flight, fell backwards onto his rather large rear.

Wind spattering his face Aang flew up and up with momo on his rear.

Once on top, Aang landed softly on the highest branch and looked down through a labyrinth of branches vines and leaves but noticed about thirteen feet down resting on a branch a small black cat with green eyes lazily peering up at him.

Before Aang could call to it, a white flash rang past Aangs left cheek.

Momo was now the one who sprang into action, soaring down and landing on a branch besides the cat causing a tremor to shake through the entire branch to the trunk of the tree.

The cat, startled at the abruptness in which momo made his entrance scurried off into a deeper part of the great sequoia tree and out of sight.

"Ugh, momo!" Aang cried out exasperated, "you aren't ever going to make friends like that!

Momo looked at Aang and then back to the bushy green leaves of the tree where the cat had made his escape. He hesitated for a moment then went into a full gallop on the branch, giving chase to the frightened cat.

"No! Momo come back he's afraid of you!" Aang yelled as he in turn gave chase after his lemur monkey.

Aang ran along a large moss covered tree branch and dodged other smaller branches trying to swat him in the face and dove into the bush after momo and the green eyed cat.

As he past the brush the insides of the tree were exposed to him. Elaborate aged dark wood branches went this way and that all covered in pond scum green moss. Thickets of leaves sporadically blocked the view off in the distance as he spotted his lemur monkey continuing to give chase to the cat in a far branch.

Aang leaped of the branch he was standing on and took flight towards the chaos, just as Momo finally caught up with the cat, initiating an epic scrap.

As fur and claws danced around like a screeching tornado of fur, Aang leaped off his glider and shot a gust of air towards the seen.

Momo blown backwards off the branch performed a back flip and then spread his wings and took off out of the tree.

Aang spun around, slowing his momentum and landed gracefully on the nearest branch. Noticing to his dismay that the gust of air he had shot not only knocked momo off, but the cat as well, he raced off after it.

As the cat did not possess the gift of flight he tumbled in midair down toward the ground above the chubby boy. The boy cried out as the cat had broken the lining of leaves and came into his view above where he was standing.

"Sprinkles!" the boy screamed with terror.

He watched helpless as he watched sprinkles being hurled closer and closer to him out of the tree. The cat was 45 feet and then quickly 30 feet from the ground when Aang also broke the lining of the tree and spotted the cat about to go squish.

Aang continued to hurl himself after the cat

The cat was seconds from the ground when an experienced hand grabbed him. Aang carried the cat in one hand as he held onto his glider in the other. Aang pulled up on his gliders skimming just inches off the ground he was able to take flight again with the cat in hand.

The cat, having enough to do with being in the air, growled, hissed and scratched as Aang rushed back towards the ground.

Aang handed the panicked cat back over to the boy who had gone through so many roller coaster emotions, he now looked very pale and on the verge of passing out.

"Heh, got your cat, safe in sound right here," Aang said sheepishly knowing the boy was unaware that it was he who had knock the cat out of the tree in the first place hurdling him to near certain death.

The boy looked at Aang and back at his cat.

"Thanks." The boy said turning about on the spot and ran back down the hill the same way Aang had come.

"Uh, no problem" Aang replied puzzled at the abruptness of the chubby boy. He watched as the chocolate stained shirt vanished from view.

Aang looked at Momo, shook his head and walked towards the base of the tree and found the softest patch of green grass, his ideal meditation spot.

That's enough adventure for one day he thought as his contemplations returned back to his son and Katara.


End file.
